Guaro area guide: charming and welcoming

For a village to declare itself the 'Natural Almond Paradise' you'd be forgiven for thinking it was nuts. Well, it IS nuts they're talking about, but it's not a nuts claim (well, it's a claim about nuts, but it's not a crazy claim...make sense now?); it is, in fact, a recent marketing ploy to give Guaro some tangible sense of identity.

Cast deep into the Guadalhorce Valley, this tiny village is anonymous yet familiar; its quiet streets are classically Andalusian, its white houses neat and identifiably Spanish, and the surrounding valley is rugged and beautiful. But it's also a mere dot on the map; a village that's been ignored for centuries. It's also covered in almond plantations, providing the village with its main source of income. After all, barely a tourist sets foot in these parts, let alone a home-hunting North European.

Changes are afoot, though. While the Almond College hints at a further cementation of the village's traditional values, Guaro is actively looking to modernise itself in order to attract the Euros that have so far landed agonisingly just out of reach. Part of the image crisis has come from the unique situation the village finds itself in. In 2006, women had more than double the number of work contracts than men in Guaro, a situation that came about because most young men had long left Guaro in search of work in the neighbouring larger towns and cities.

The village itself is lovely - picture-postcard in fact. But that's the problem; the picture on the postcard hasn't changed for centuries, and the outside world can no longer be ignored. Guaro knows this, and the almond moniker is just the beginning...

The 2,000 or so permanent inhabitants of Guaro have no cinema, swish shopping mall or eclectic selection of restaurants to enjoy during the day, but they don't get bored, and neither should you. If you purchase a property in Guaro you can set about decorating it with local wildflowers, enjoying the sunshine from the comfort of your private courtyard while tucking into a traditional Andalusian breakfast of crusty bread topped with tomatoes and drizzled with local olive oil.

Around the village there are a couple of sites of historical interest that will be worth checking out. Saint Michael's parish church is a 16th century palace that stands rather handsomely and proudly in the middle of the village. Beyond the village are a number of good hiking trails, and if you've got the time then a quick drive into the mountains takes you deep into semi-wilderness territory; ideal for those looking to truly get away from it all.

There isn't much going on in Guaro at night. The distant wildlife in the surrounding valleys does more to soundtrack the night sky than any bar or restaurant can. It's this sense of isolation that may have driven many of the fun-seeking youngsters out of town, but if you're of a more sedate persuasion, such an atmosphere may sound heavenly. Local bodegas are as traditional as they come, and all will serve cheap wines and beers to go with local dishes and tapas. Expect warm welcomes, barrel-bottomed tables, hanging Serrano hams and conviviality rather than thumping music and drunken dancing. Peaceful, charming and bathed in Andalusian heat, Guaro is rather pleasant in the evenings.